Heller Admissions Blog Articles in December, 2022

Month: December 2022

Happy Holidays from Heller!

December 22, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

Heller’s Office of Admissions wishes you and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday season! The Office of Admissions will be closed from December 24th through January 3rd and will be taking a little hiatus from the blog during this time, but we’ll be back with fresh content on January 3rd. In the meantime, I’ve compiled a list of five resources that prospective students and applicants may find helpful, as well as three things that I’ll be doing over the break that I would recommend that you do too!

Resources:

How to Apply – find details on how to apply for each of our programs as well as the deadlines to submit your application.
English Proficiency and Application Fee Waivers for International Students – international applicants can check if they will need to submit IELTS, TOEFL, or Duolingo test scores and whether they are eligible to have their application fee waived.
Upcoming Events – coming up in January, we’ll be hosting several virtual sessions, including Is the Social Impact MBA Right for Me?, Is the MPP Program Right for Me?, and The Heller Experience: Master’s Programs Current Student Panel.
Financial Aid – Learn about the cost of tuition, our 100% tuition scholarships, and national service scholarships.
Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity – Find information about Heller initiatives to further EID, EID research at Heller, diversity events, and much more.

Take a Break!

Get some fresh air! During winter break, it’s so easy to just curl up and hibernate, but I’m planning to take at least one outdoor walk a day. Make an activity of it by ranking your neighborhood’s holiday decorations, going to a tree or menorah lighting, or window shopping.
Have a spa day. This isn’t just for the ladies– men and non-binary folks, you deserve a little love and self-care too. I’m prescribing everyone reading this one required pampering day where you take a long bath or shower, throw on a face mask (homemade is fine), and relax for once.
Do the thing you never have time for. Read a book, do yoga, go to the gym, whatever it is you normally don’t have time for, make time for it over this break.

I hope all of that helps; and I look forward to welcoming you all back to the blog in January!

Brief Reflections on my First Semester at Heller

Calah McQuarters, MBA’23

This past Wednesday I submitted my last paper to complete my first semester of graduate school around 11:30 pm (yes, I procrastinated). After pressing “submit”, an overwhelming feeling of nausea came over me. Partially because I was second guessing if I listed all of my sources in the bibliography, but partially because while I had been clawing my way to the finish line of the semester since Thanksgiving, I didn’t expect it to come so soon. I hear more and more these days how it feels like time is always flying. Hours are turning into minutes and minutes to seconds. As I sit 4 months removed from when I first arrived in Waltham, I can certainly say it feels like I just got here yesterday. But now that readings and assignments are on pause until the new year, I want to take time to reflect on my learning experience during my first semester at Heller.

When I first began thinking about going to school for an MBA, my excitement was matched by my fear. Not having come from a business background, I didn’t know if I had the expertise needed to know the material I was going to school to study for. Turns out, I was right. Of course I didn’t! In my first class of the semester, Financial Reporting and Analysis, I arrived early, sat in the front, and listened earnestly to the professor, understanding 99% of what she was explaining. I left feeling on top of the world, ready to breeze through my time at Heller. Fast forward to my second class, Economic Analysis for Managers, I repeated the same process. I arrived early, sat in the front, and listened earnestly to the professor. Except this time, I promise she was speaking an entirely different language. By no fault of her own, no matter how many times she explained the material, the neuro pathways in my brain refused to allow the new information in front of me to sink in. I left that class, called my mother, and said plainly, “I think I’m dumb”, laughing but really wanting to cry. Over the next hour, my mother and I broke down that statement and I came to the realization that I in fact wasn’t dumb, I just didn’t know this new thing I never studied before. Now, you might be reading this thinking, “duh Calah! Of course you’re not going to know what you’ve never learned before”. But honestly, somewhere in the time between being accepted into graduate school and actually starting graduate school, I created this unrealistic expectation of knowing all I needed to know before I learned it. This semester reminded me that it is okay not to know everything (it’s actually unrealistic). Instead of obsessing over what I didn’t know in the beginning, I chose to be intentional and diligent about learning over time so I could be a little wiser in the end. I read, studied, worked with classmates, and talked to professors to ensure I was gaining all I could. It’s funny to remember that call, especially now that I understand the time value of money (look at me using econ terms 😉 ). But I am grateful for the patience and grace I offered myself then and in many more moments along this semester. To anyone thinking about applying to something you’ve never done or learned before, do it! The process may be scary and there will likely be moments you feel a little dumb, but what you learn and gain in the end is always so worth it! It has been for me.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a couple of lines to acknowledge a source of so much laughter and happiness during my first semester: my cohort. I am grateful for the experiences shared, heartfelt moments had, friendships formed, and events planned (shoutout to the Boston Commons crew) thus far. And I am so excited to continue to grow together and make more memories over the next year.

One semester down, three more to go.

Holidays at Heller

December 15, 2022 / amendez / 0 Comments

Andy Mendez, MBA/SID’23

Holidays in graduate school are a bittersweet time. On the one hand, it’s a welcome reprieve from the intensity of the schoolwork grind and a chance to reconnect with loved ones back home. On the other hand, for many international and out-of-state students, going home for the holidays is not always feasible financially or due to the distance. Personally, my hometown is a 16 hour drive from the university or a $400+ roundtrip airplane ticket so, both this year and last year, I have had to choose between going home for the November break or going home for New Year’s instead.

With this in mind, the Heller Student Association started a Friendsgiving tradition to bring students together for a time of community, gratitude, and fun. The Heller Student Association is a student working group dedicated to amplifying the diverse voices of the student body and meaningfully contributing to decisions that affect students’ time at the Heller School.

This year, about 30 students gathered on the afternoon of Friday, November 25th in the Zinner Forum for our 2022 Friendsgiving Celebration. We spent the first half hour of the event playing board games, teaching each other new card games, filling out coloring sheets, and writing positive messages on a big poster board to the tune of a Charlie Brown holiday playlist on Spotify. Connect4 and Exploding Kittens stood out as the crowd favorites. At 12:30pm sharp, we gathered around three long tables for a feast from Boston Market resplendent with macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, rotisserie chicken, cornbread, and apple pie. Before digging in, we went around the table sharing things that we were grateful for. Unsurprisingly, student after student cited the friendships they’d made at Heller and the welcoming campus community as top of their gratitude list. Since the event was open to students from all of Heller’s programs, many new friendships were formed as people from different programs interacted for the first or maybe second time.

After lunch, we had a very spontaneous and impromptu karaoke session, which was dominated by 90s boy band singles, Taylor Swift classics, and a few Latin tunes. Students were able to take home tons of food to feed themselves and their roommates over the holiday weekend. While the organizers were perfectly happy to handle the take-down and clean-up process themselves, every single attendee pitched in to fold tables, remove chairs, and take out trash. It was such a perfect picture of the spirit that is so indicative of the Heller community. I left the event feeling refreshed and grateful for all the people who contribute to making the Heller School the place that it is.

3 Reasons Why You Should Schedule an Ambassador Appointment

December 13, 2022 / rclark / 0 Comments

Ronunique Clark, MPP’23

As a graduate assistant with the Heller Admissions Office for a 2nd year, I can say that I have enjoyed learning the ins and out of the admissions office. Being able to assist prospective students for programs at Heller and current students enrolled at Heller has allowed me to engage effectively with the process of higher academia. One cool part about my role as a graduate assistant is that I am able to dedicate time to speaking with applicants or potential applicants through what we call Ambassador Appointments. I am here to tell you three reasons why scheduling an Admissions Ambassador Appointment may be helpful!

1. Connecting with a student who is currently in your program of interest

Currently in our office we have a student connected to the following programs: Public Policy , Social Impact MBA, Global Health Policy and Management, Conflict Resolution and Coexistence , and Sustainable International Development, with two of our graduate ambassadors in a dual program offered by the school. Speaking directly to someone who is currently a full time student in your program of interest seems like a cheat code to the game. My co-workers and I are full time students navigating our respective programs everyday, so we know first hand what our program is about such as concentrations, classes, professors, and general student body life.

2. Get the answer to your questions

We love being able to answer any questions you have regarding the application process such statement of purpose, recommendation letters, or work experience. Or answering your general questions like “Why did you decide to choose Heller?” “What did you do before coming to Heller?” Just as we do when we are responding to your emails or answering your phone calls, we always want to provide you with the most adequate, updated information. Now remember, we are employed by the Admissions office, which works directly with sensitive information, so most questions may not be answered such as “Could you tell me if I got admitted or not?” or “Has my application been reviewed yet?” To make sure everyone is on a equal playing field, there is certain information that we can not provide. In addition to this, sometimes sending emails can be hassle waiting on a response, making sure it made it to the correct individual, and just overall technical difficulties. Meeting with an graduate ambassador, you are able to receive answers to most of your questions whether they are big or small and if we do not know the answer at the moment we will work to find it and follow up with you about it.

3. Booking an appointment is easy because we are flexible!

Making an appointment with a graduate ambassador is super easy and we are more then flexible. We utilize a Ambassador Portal link that lists all of our ambassadors and our available appointment slots. Don’t see a time that works for you? No worries, we will work with you to find a suitable time. Once you have registered for an Ambassador Appointment you will receive three confirmation emails; first email is confirming that your appointment has been made the second email will be your reminder email which you will receive 24 hours before the appointment, and the final email will be sent 2 hours before your appointment time with a link to connect us via video. Yes, I know, a lot of emails but we don’t want to miss you! Also, if you do not want to utilize our virtual option we will be more then happy to chat with you over the phone. We understand life can get in a way of a lot and sometimes we do not have control over what can happen in our day. These meetings are not mandatory so you can schedule whenever you need.

What I think is the most fun part for prospective students is getting to know us, as we all come from different backgrounds in our educational and work experience sometimes you may be surprised to hear that you had or have the same career and academic goals or that are educational and work experience focused on a different path but led us here. Conversations with graduate ambassadors are suppose to be relaxed, engaging, and ultimately helpful for you as you are making your decision regarding graduate school. If this has relieved your anxiety of what an Ambassador Appointment entails then sign up for one using this link here. We look forward to connecting with you 🙂

The Summer Internship, Part Two

December 8, 2022 / bruscitti / 0 Comments

Brielle Ruscitti, MS GHPM/MA SID’24

In my last post, I started talking about how I was starting my summer internship search, and now I will update on how the process is going and what other steps I have taken. I previously mentioned the importance of the Heller School’s resources, specifically career services. Over the past couple of weeks, I have met with career services to talk about how to strategize my internship search, resources available and had my resume and cover letter reviewed.

Having a reviewed and ready to go template resume and cover letter is extremely useful for when I find an internship that I would like to apply to. I can easily customize my materials to fit the job description and confidently submit my application. I have been using Handshake and LinkedIn most frequently to find positions applying to ones that I am most interested in. I have learned that using filters on Handshake can be really useful for searching for specific position types, durations and paid vs unpaid opportunities. LinkedIn is useful for looking at specific organizations you are interested in that are hiring and even tells you how many other applicants there are. Additionally, remember to keep your LinkedIn profile updated, this is not only a great way to keep track of your accomplishments but also LinkedIn is great for networking. One of the biggest takeaways that I have had so far is that every organization tends to have a different hiring timeline, so some agencies and organizations might be hiring spring intern and some might be looking for summer interns. Make sure to take your time and realize that some of the positions you might be looking for aren’t being hired for yet.

Another great resource that I have explored is information session and events that Heller is hosting. Information sessions, specifically about the practicum search is a great place to get your questions answered. I attended a session last week hosted by Mary Poor and learned so much about what previous students have done for their practicum, and what is required for the Heller school, such as forms, and visa information, if applicable. Additionally, there were a number of resources shared at this event that I am definitely going to be using going forward in my search. This event was also super helpful as there were current and previous students present to talk about their practicum experience, and share what finding and completing the practicum was like. If there are any other events that are like this in the future I will be sure to attend.

In my next post, I will be sharing some interview tips and reflections on some of my interview experiences, so stay tuned!

Meet My Co-hort: Robert Hitt

December 6, 2022 / rclark / 0 Comments

Ronunique Clark, MPP’23

We took a brief intermission and now we are back with another blog in my mini blog series of Meet My Cohort. Did you miss it? I hope so! This week I had the great pleasure to sit down with Robert Hitt, who is 31 years old and from Milton, Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a bachelors of science in Biology. He is now a 2nd year Master of Public Policy Student concentrating in Economic and Racial Equity.

Robert Hitt, MPP’23

What did you do before coming to Heller?

I came back to the United States a year prior to coming to Heller, but before that I was teaching English in Rabat, Morocco for four years. When I came back, I started working at Mass General Hospital as a Clinical Laboratory Assistant, which is where I worked before leaving to go to Morocco. I continued working this position during my 1st year at Heller but only part-time, 3 days a week. I wouldn’t recommend this during your first year, at least.

Why did you choose Heller?

When I was in Morocco, the pandemic had just hit, and we were in lock down. We couldn’t really leave our apartment besides going to the grocery store, and the school I was working at was shut down. This was also in the midst of the 2020 Presidential Election, and I began thinking hard about what I wanted to do with my career. I enjoyed teaching, but knew I did not want to continue with that, and I knew I wanted to come back to the United States, but at the time we were waiting for my wife’s visa to get approved. Thinking about what I wanted to do, I knew I was interested in politics and law, which left me debating between policy or law school. I spoke with a lot of my family members that were lawyers, who all told me not to go to law school. I still might, who knows, but someone had mentioned public policy, and I thought this idea was neat. If I did public policy, I wouldn’t have to try to use the law in a way that I thought was just, but to shape laws or influence how they’re made. This was appealing to me, so I applied to a couple different programs, but I appreciated Heller’s social justice bent. In addition to this, I saw that Bob Kuttner was a professor here, and I been reading his work. I reached out to him and observed one of his classes “Capitalism and Social Policy” and I enjoyed it. Bob Kuttner was really kind to me and he offered me a internship at the Prospect when I joined his class in Spring 2022. Knowing he was there, I realized the school really aligned with my values.

What is or was your favorite class at Heller?

Because I am interested in workers rights and labor power, I will say my favorite classes are Economic Theory and Economic Labor, both taught by Professor Lisa Lynch. I find the classes to be really engaging. We don’t only talk about how the labor market affects worker power but also how workers can exert their power in the workplace and gain better wages/benefits for themselves. This is what I really want to do after Heller: improve the wellbeing of workers and facilitate them in using their power.

What is or was your most challenging class at Heller?

Maybe Law and Social Justice: Constructions of Race and Ethnicity and Their Consequences, taught by Professor Anita Hill. There were a lot of concepts I was not familiar with and at times the subject matter was difficult and uncomfortable. Yet I think for myself as a white man, it was really important for me to be exposed to these subjects . I still feel like I am not fully conversant on all of the topics in terms of transformational justice and restorative justice, but at least it gave me a baseline which is really good and helpful.

What are some activities you are currently doing at Heller?

No disrespect to the faculty or administration, but the best part of Heller is my classmates. With a group of classmates we started our own independent student magazine, The Open Air Journal. We are able to publish student work which in other cases would go to waste in someone’s computer file and constructively criticize the way things are done at Heller. In general, Heller has been open to hearing about this criticism which is a tribute to them. Through this organization, we were able to meet a bunch of students throughout the programs, COEX, SID, and I got to know a lot of my own classmates in the MPP program a little better through their writing. For me, personally, I feel like that is where I come alive and I can express myself. I really value that we are able to provide our classmates with a space to experience this in addition to improving their writing skills. We are publishing our Fall 2022 edition online this month, November 21st, and we have submissions from all different co-horts: creative, academic, and even a podcast! This is a long term project so even when I am gone there will be first years taking over, so if anyone reading is interested, let me know and I can facilitate that.

What are your plans after Heller?

I am going to win the lottery and not worry about anything. Nah, I am just kidding! I either want to work in organized labor directly or work in policy, whether that is in a think tank or government agency. I want to be helping workers rights and/or facilitating worker power whether that is in the Department of Labor, Office of Budget and Management, or a progressive think tank. I am looking all around I have a couple of target organizations in mind but I am keeping my options open as well.

Any advice you would like to give prospective students?

Believe that you are worthy of being here and that the institution has to live up to you and not the other way around.

Wow, what a strong way to end this blog post! Thank you Bob for stepping into the Admissions Blog Room. If you are interested or know someone who maybe interested in joining the Open Air Journal when arriving to Heller contact openair@brandeis.edu. See everyone soon for another blog in Meet My Co-hort!

Hello Heller! Shiko Rugene’s Acceptance Story

December 1, 2022 / amandamiller / 0 Comments

Shiko Rugene, Social Impact MBA’22

I received my acceptance letter on July 20th, 2020. As I sit here and try to rack my brain to remember the feelings I had when I received the decision letter, it feels almost impossible. I know I’m speaking to the choir when I say how out of this world 2020 was. In June, we were at the height of the pandemic, still sanitizing our groceries with Clorox wipes and trying to wrap our brains around this new way of life. I was spending all my time in my studio apartment in Berkeley, California, having recently lost my job due to the pandemic like many others. Around that same time, in May, the whole world witnessed such horrific police brutality, leading many of us to the streets in response. With the world on lockdown, everything seemed to be falling apart, but we finally had a moment to reckon with and question many of the injustices around us.

I applied to Heller because I wanted to be part of an institution where social justice was front and center. A place where I could be with peers who were driven and persistent about challenging systems and influencing change. The Social Impact MBA program felt ideal to me for two reasons: 1) I wanted to learn what it would look like to influence business to be more accountable to our society and 2) more practically, I knew I needed the hard skills that would position me to take on the management and leadership positions I sought after.

With Heller operating remotely and so much uncertainty looming, my decision to join felt a lot more challenging than I hoped when I applied. When I thought about graduate school, I imagined being in community with other students, with faculty and professors. I imagined study sessions with classmates, being in a large lecture hall and the buzz of being in a place like Zinner forum where students share ideas and meals together. I knew that I wanted to be at Heller, but I was afraid that learning remotely just wasn’t going to fulfill me. I had to make a decision soon.

As a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, I knew that I had a strong network of peers who I could lean on to help me with my decision. Many were completing their degrees remotely at the time and had first hand experience. Though they spoke of the flexibility afforded to them by Heller, they also spoke of the challenges of not being amongst other students and with community. With that in mind, I chose to defer and start my degree in 2021, a decision that I’m so glad I chose.